And so the Burnt Orange drama begins.
Former Carroll Senior High School quarterback and current Texas longhorns shot caller Quinn Ewers is coming off an injury plague season, completing 58.1% of his passes for 2,177 yards, 15 touchdowns, and six interceptions.
Already, Big 12 coaches are questioning if he will be usurped by true freshman Arch Manning. This comes from ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg, specifically one anonymous defensive coordinator who believes Manning will start this season.
“You can see the talent, and I hear that he’s changed,” the defensive coordinator said in regards to Ewers. “I don’t think he’s where those other three (Daniels, Howard, Gabriel) are yet. Could he be? Yes. He’s got talent, and he’s got a hose, but you’d have to project that one.”
“I would watch for the other kid (Manning) to unseat him at some point.”
The nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning already has recognition as a 5-star prospect and the No. 1 recruit in this year’s class. Judging from NIL valuation, Manning may be on the right trajectory. Currently, the true freshman is the third biggest earner on the list, pocketing $2.9 million in NIL deals; in contrast, Ewers is fifteenth and making $1.2 million.
Despite the hype around the prospect, the Longhorns camp is remaining devoted to Ewers, and talks of a QB battle seem mostly relegated to sports media talk shows… at least for now. Coach Steve Sarkisian has Ewers as the first string on the depth chart, with Manning and redshirt freshman Maalik Murphy fighting for the backup spot. If Ewers is struggling a few weeks in, things could get interesting…
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